AIM: To explore the effect of lncRNA SNHG6 on injury of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells(hRMECs)induced by high glucose and its possible mechanism.METHODS: The D-glucose-induced hRMECs were used to establish normal glucose(NG)and high glucose(HG)cell injured model. In the HG group, the hRMECs were cultured in DMEM medium at a concentration of 25 mmol/L D-glucose for 24 h, while in the NC group, they were cultured in DMEM medium at a concentration of 5.5 mmol/L D-glucose; according to experimental design, si-NC, si-SNHG6, si-SNHG6 and anti-miR-NC and si-SNHG6 and anti-miR-186-5p were transfected into hRMECs, and then incubated at a concentration of 25 mmol/L D-glucose for 24 h, with HG+si-NC group, HG+si-SNHG6 group, HG+si-SNHG6+anti-miR-NC group and HG+si-SNHG6+anti-miR-186-5p group marked, respectively. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression of lncRNA SNHG6 and miR-186-5p; dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the targeting relationship; MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10; testing kits were used to detect activity of SOD and level of MDA; the Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of cleaved-caspase3, Bax and Bcl-2.RESULTS: The lncRNA SNHG6 expression increased in the HG group, while miR-186-5p expression decreased(both P<0.05). There was target binding of lncRNA SNHG6 with miR-186-5p. After the transfection of si-SNHG6, cell inhibition rate, apoptosis rate, cleaved-caspase3, Bax protein levels, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8 contents, and MDA activity were decreased(P<0.05), while Bcl-2 protein, IL-10 contents, and SOD activity were increased(P<0.05). Co-transfection of si-SNHG6 and anti-miR-186-5p increased cell proliferation inhibition rate, apoptosis rate, cleaved-caspase3, Bax, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, and MDA(P<0.05), but decreased Bcl-2, IL-10 and SOD(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Interfering with lncRNA SNHG6 could inhibit cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress of high-glucose- induced hRMECs by elevating the expression of miR-186-5p.

Purpose: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has increased in recent years, and the optimal surgical strategy for AEG remains highly controversial. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (PG-DT) for the treatment of patients with AEG. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with Siewert type II/III AEG between January 2013 and July 2018. Clinicopathological characteristics, survival, surgical outcomes, quality of life (QOL), and nutritional status were compared between the PG-DT and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis (TG-RY) groups. Results: After propensity score matching, 33 patients in each group were analyzed. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival. The surgical option was not an independent prognostic factor based on the multivariate analysis. In addition, no differences were found in terms of surgical complications. There were no significant differences in QOL assessed by the Visick grade, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, or endoscopic findings. Furthermore, the long-term nutritional advantage of the PG-DT group was significantly greater than that of the TG-RY group. Conclusions PG-DT is a safe and effective procedure for patients with local Siewert type II/III AEG, regardless of the TNM stage.

Recent advancement in natural language processing (NLP) and medical imaging empowers the wide applicability of deep learning models. These developments have increased not only data understanding, but also knowledge of state-of-the-art architectures and their real-world potentials. Medical imaging researchers have recognized the limitations of only targeting images, as well as the importance of integrating multimodal inputs into medical image analysis. The lack of comprehensive surveys of the current literature, however, impedes the progress of this domain. Existing research perspectives, as well as the architectures, tasks, datasets, and performance measures examined in the present literature, are reviewed in this work, and we also provide a brief description of possible future directions in the field, aiming to provide researchers and healthcare professionals with a detailed summary of existing academic research and to provide rational insights to facilitate future research.
Humans ; Natural Language Processing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective    To explore the feasibility and clinical value of free-of-puncture positioning in three-dimension-guided anatomical segmentectomy for ground-glass nodule (GGN) compared with percutaneous positioning. Methods    Clinical data of 268 enrolled patients undergoing anatomical pulmonary segmentectomy from October 2018 to June 2019 were retrospectively collected, including 75 males and 193 females with an average age of 56.55±12.10 years. The patients were divided into two groups, including a percutaneous positioning group (n=89) and a free-of-puncture positioning group (n=179). Perioperative data of the two groups were compared. Results    The average CT scan times of the percutaneous positioning group was 3.01±0.98 times, and the numerical rating scale (NRS) score of puncture pain was 3.98±1.61 points. Pulmonary compression pneumothorax (≥30%) occurred in 7 (7.87%) patients and intercostal vascular hemorrhage occurred in 8 (8.99%) patients after puncture. Lung nodules were successfully found and removed in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the location of nodules (P=0.466), operation time (151.83±39.23 min vs. 154.35±33.19 min, P=0.585), margin width (2.07±0.35 cm vs. 1.98±0.28 cm, P=0.750), or the number of excised subsegments (2.83±1.13 vs. 2.73±1.16, P=0.530). Conclusion    Anatomical segmentectomy with three-dimensional navigation avoids the adverse consequences of puncture, which has the same clinical efficacy and meets the requirements of oncology compared with percutaneous positioning. The free-of-puncture positioning method can be used for GGN located in the central region of pulmonary segment/subsegment or adjacent to   intersegment veins instead of percutaneous positioning.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of early gastroscopy for patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.Methods:A total of 231 cases of hypopharyngeal cancer diagnosed and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2010 to December 2014 were included in the retrospective analysis. The 5-year survival rate of hypopharyngeal cancer and patients accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer (including early and advanced esophageal cancer), as well as the detection rate of synchronous esophageal cancer by gastroscopy and systemic PET-CT examination were statistically analyzed.Results:The 5-year survival rate of hypopharyngeal cancer was 38.96% (90/231). The 5-year survival rates of 62 patients accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer and 169 patients without were 27.42% (17/62) and 43.20% (73/169), respectively, with statistic difference ( χ2=4.747, P=0.029). The 5-year survival rate of 49 patients accompanied with synchronous early esophageal cancer was 30.69% (17/49). Among the 13 patients with synchronous progressive esophageal cancer, none had a survival period of 5 years, which was significantly different compared with the patients with synchronous early esophageal cancer ( P=0.013). The detection rates of synchronous esophageal carcinoma by gastroscopy and by systemic PET-CT were 26.84% (62/231) and 14.29% (33/231), respectively, with statistic difference ( χ2=11.14, P<0.01). The detection rates of synchronous early esophageal carcinoma by gastroscopy and by systemic PET-CT were 21.21% (49/231) and 8.66% (20/231), respectively, and the difference was also statistically significant ( χ2=14.328, P<0.01). Conclusion:Hypopharyngeal cancer accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer is of high risk, which affects the survival rate of patients. Early gastroscopy in hypopharyngeal cancer patients can significantly improve the detection rate of synchronous esophageal cancer, which helps to design individualized regimen to improve the survival rate of patients.

BACKGROUND: For early-stage lung cancer, segmentectomy can get the same oncological benefits as lobectomy. Accurate identification of the intersegmental border is the key to segmentectomy. This study used extended segmentectomy and extended subsegmentectomy to treat lung intersegmental and intersubsegmental ground-glass nodules (GGN) by utilizing modified inflation-deflation methods to distinguish the intersegmental and intersubsegmental borders. The accuracy of modified inflation-deflation methods and the effectiveness of extended resection to guarantee a safe surgical margin were evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 83 cases of extended segmentectomy and extended subsegmentectomy was conducted. Preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) revealed that nodules were involved in intersegmental or intersubsegmental veins. Based on preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction, the surgery was designed to extendedly remove the dominant lung segment or subsegment with nodules involved. When the dominant lung segment or subsegment could not be identified, the simpler lung segment or subsegment was selected for the resection. After the target vessel and bronchus were cut off during the operation, modified inflation-deflation method was used to determine the border, and a stapler was used to resect the adjacent lung segment or subsegment tissue by 2 cm-3 cm around the inflation-deflation boundary line. Then, the relationship between the inflation-deflation boundary line and the nodule and the width of the surgical margin were measured. Clinical data were collected during the perioperative period. RESULTS: 56 extended segmentectomies and 27 extended subsegmentectomies were performed. The average diameter of pulmonary nodules was (0.9±0.3) cm. There were 79 cases with clearly inflation-deflation boundary lines. The average time needed for the appearance of the lines was (13.6±6.5) min. In 55 cases, the nodules were involved with the inflation-deflation boundary lines. Meanwhile, the remaining 24 cases revealed an average minimum distance of (0.6±0.3) cm between nodules and the boundary lines. The average width of surgical margin was (2.1±0.3) cm in these 79 cases. No deaths or major complications appeared during 30 d after operation. CONCLUSIONS The modified inflation-deflation method can effectively define the intersegmental and intersubsegmental borders, and guarantee the safe surgical margins of extended segmentectomy and extended subsegmentectomy to treat intersegmental and intersubsegmental small lung tumors.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of stellate ganglion block on nighttime sleep quality in the patients with primary sleep disorders.Methods:Sixty patients of both sexes with primary sleep disorders, of American Society of Anesthesiology physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ, aged 18-64 yr, weighing 40-75 kg, were randomized to 2 groups ( n=30 each): control group (group C) and stellate ganglion block group (group S). In group S, 0.2% ropivacaine 5 ml was injected into the surface of the right longus colli muscle where the the stellate ganglion was located under ultrasound guidance once a day for 7 consecutive days starting from 1 h before bedtime.While the equal volume of normal saline was given instead in group C. Patients′ Subjective Sleep Quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire before treatment (T 0) and 1-7 days after treatment.The objective sleep quality was evaluated with polysomnography.A bispectral index(BIS)monitor and a cerebral and regional blood oxygen monitoring system were used to monitor the BIS value and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO 2) during sleep, which were recorded once every 30 min, and the 7-day average was calculated.The patients′ daytime advanced cognitive function was assessed for 3 consecutive days after the end of treatment (T 8-10), including the Continuous Attention Test and the Behavioral Test for Performing Defect Syndrome, and the 3-day average value was calculated.Venous blood samples were collected at T 0 and T 8 to measure the plasma noradrenaline, cortisol, and serotonin concentrations by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results:Compared with group C, the individual and total scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were significantly decreased, the sleep latency, awakening time and fast wave sleep latency were shortened, the number of awakening was increased, the total sleep time was prolonged, the sleep efficiency and proportion of fast wave sleep were increased, S 1-S 2 ratio in slow-wave sleep was decreased, S 3-S 4 ratio was increased, BIS value was decreased, rSO 2 was increased, each parameter of Continuous Attention Test was decreased and each parameter of Behavioral Test for Performing Defect Syndrome was increased after treatment, and plasma noradrenaline level was decreased at T 8 in group S ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Stellate ganglion block can improve nighttime sleep quality in patients with primary sleep disorders.

Objective:To study the efficacy of dental floss traction-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric angle mucosal lesions.Methods:Data of 127 patients with gastric angle mucosal lesions admitted to the endoscopic center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2015 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the surgical methods, patients were divided into the dental floss traction-assisted ESD group (the traction group, n=51) and the traditional ESD group (the traditional group, n=76). The 41 fibrosis cases were further divided into the traction group (n=23) and the traditional group (n=18). The operation time, en block resection rate, curative resection rate and the incidence of adverse events such as bleeding, muscle layer injury and perforation were compared between the two groups.Results:There was no significant difference in age, sex, lesion size or morphology between the traction group and the traditional group ( P > 0.05). The operation time of the traction group was significantly shorter than that of the traditional group (65.4±36.5 min VS 103.5±43.2 min, P=0.012). The en block resection rate was higher in the traction group [100.00% (51/51) VS 90.79% (69/76), P=0.026], and the curative resection rate was higher too [94.12% (48/51) VS 81.58% (62/76), P=0.042]. The incidences of muscular layer damage [5.88% (3/51) VS 25.00% (19/76), P=0.010] and intraoperative bleeding [47.06% (24/51)VS 82.89% (63/76), P=0.010] were lower in the traction group. Perforation occurred in two patients (2.63%) of fibrosis in the traditional group; no perforation occurred in the traction group. There was no significant difference in the perforation incidence ( P=0.243). In the cases of fibrosis, the operation time of the traction group was significantly shorter compared with that of the traditional group (81.4±29.3 min VS 119.3±37.6 min, P=0.010). The en block resection rate and curative resection rate were also higher in the traction group [100.00% (23/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.007; 95.65% (22/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.035]. The incidences of muscular layer damage [8.70% (2/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.001] and intraoperative bleeding [78.26% (18/23) VS 100.00% (18/18), P=0.035] were lower in the traction group. Conclusion:The dental floss traction-assisted ESD is safe and effective for gastric angle mucosal lesions and fibrotic lesions, with shorter operation time, higher curative resection rate and lower incidence of adverse events.

Objective To study the detection of Na+/H+exchanger regulatory factor 3(NHERF3) protein expression in renal carcinoma and its correlation with malignant biological behavior. Methods Renal clear cell carcinoma and their adjacent tissues of forty- eight patients were collected. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the positive expression of NHERF3 protein,and specific expression was detected by Western-blot.Patients were further divided into high NHERF3 group and low NHERF3 group according to median expression of NHERF3 protein,and each group had 24 cases.The expressions of proliferation,invasion and autophagy genes in tumor tissues were detected by fluorescent quantitative PCR.Results The positive rate of NHERF3 protein and the expression of NHERF3 protein in renal carcinoma tissue was significantly lower than that in paracancerous tissue(P<0.05).Expressions of proliferation genes such as k-Ras,c-Myc,TRPC1 mRNA in low NHERF3 group were higher than those in high NHERF3 group:141.74 ± 18.95 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 135.88 ± 16.32 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 137.21 ± 16.98 vs.100.00 ± 0.00;MIIP,FOXO1 mRNA levels were lower than those in high NHERF3 group: 43.19 ± 5.88 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 38.76 ± 4.51 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00; expressions of invasion genes such as CD74, Fascin, MACC1, TRPM8 mRNA were significantly higher than those in high NHERF3 group:152.18 ± 17.64 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 146.29 ± 17.63 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 139.76 ± 15.82 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00,150.47 ± 17.95 vs.100.00 ± 0.00;expressions of autophagy genes such as Beclin-1,LC3 mRNA were significantly lower than those in high NHERF3 group: 63.21 ± 7.09 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00, 56.28 ± 7.15 vs. 100.00 ± 0.00; EZH2 mRNA level was higher than that in high NHERF3 group:159.47 ± 17.82 vs.100.00 ± 0.00,and there were significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusions The positive rate of NHERF3 protein expression and the amount of protein expression in renal carcinoma tissue is increased, and the specific expression is closely related to tumor proliferation, invasion and activity of autophagy.

Objective To investigate the establishment,operation and performance of external quality assessment(EQA) system for microbial morphology and detection of special drug-resistance in clinical laboratory,and explore the value of the developed system in clinical application.Methods The pictures of known bacteria and fungi colony,gram staining and acid-fast staining from clinical microbiology were distributed to the participating laboratories in Gansu province twice a year at regular intervals.The pictures of standard knowledge points from CLSI,such as special drug resistance were distributed simultaneously.All the participating laboratories were required to complete the interpretation for the pictures and report their resuhs in a scheduled time.Then the resuhs were summarized and analyzed as 3 modes:complete consistency,general consistency and non-consistency.Results During the 2 years when the EQA system for microbial morphology and detection of special drug-resistance were performed for 24 times,the rate of annual complete consistency increased year by year and reached to 91.3％ in 2015.Conclusion The EQA system based on the examinations of microbial morphology and CLSI standard knowledge points for clinical laboratory may supervise the staff of clinical microbiology laboratories in the hospitals at second grade or above to master the skills of morphological identification and learn CLSI knowledge points,so their professional skills of clinical microbiology could be comprehensively improved.